26/09/2026
No, This Isn’t AI — Barcelona’s Sky Really Looked Like This Last Night ✨
Last night, 750 drones took off at the same time over Barceloneta, turning Barcelona’s night sky into a giant canvas of light.
It was one of the highlights of La Mercè, Barcelona’s biggest festival of the year.
For 20 minutes, the drones created enormous images connecting Barcelona and Shanghai: the Sagrada Família, Shanghai’s skyline, a Gaudí-inspired dragon, and even pa amb tomàquet alongside Chinese steamed buns.
Why Shanghai?
This year, Shanghai became the first Asian guest city in La Mercè’s history, just as Barcelona and Shanghai celebrate 25 years as sister cities.
The show, The Red Thread: From Barcelona to Shanghai, was inspired by the Chinese legend of the red thread of fate— an invisible thread said to connect those destined to meet, no matter how far apart they are.
And there was an impressive amount of work behind those 20 minutes.
Flock Drone Art Studio — the same Barcelona team that created the Gaudí drone display during Pope Leo XIV’s visit — brought together around 20 illustrators, 3D animators and other specialists to choreograph the 750 GPS-guided drones.
The finale brought the story back to Barcelona, recreating elements of Cinta Vidal’s 2026 Mercè poster, including an espardenya, the traditional Catalan rope-soled shoe, and Montjuïc’s Teatre Grec.
Missed it?
The drones were a one-night-only show, but La Mercè isn’t finished with Barcelona’s sky yet.
This Saturday at 10 PM, the Espigó del Gas hosts another free spectacle, with a fireworks display by a Chinese pyrotechnics team.
And on Sunday night, La Mercè ends with the Piromusical at Nova Icària beach.
